Here's a Happy 20th Birthday to Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, Calif., founded by Tim Miller and myself on May 1, 1989. Highways is celebrating with a performance by the Los Angeles Poverty Department, John Malpede's performance company of homeless and formerly homeless. LAPD was the first company ever to perform at Highways. We had to hire a fireman to stand in the lobby every night so the building and safety department didn't shut us down for having too steep a wheelchair ramp in the space. It was hilarious. Malpede and his wife, Henriette Brouwer, are now residents at the 18th Street Arts Center, where Highways is located. 18th Street was 20 last year; for several years it was the former home and publisher of High Performance magazine, the forerunner of the Community Arts Network. Kudos to Leo Garcia, current director of Highways, for keeping the ball in the air. And love to Tim, wherever you are touring right now. I will always remember our initial little gathering, May 1, 1989, when I couldn't help singing a few lines from James Taylor: "First day of May, things are beginning, our side is winning, hip hip hooray."

   

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